One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest highlights the very real fact that the mind is a sophisticated instrument. Of course, our understanding of how it works, and, more importantly, what happens when it misbehaves, has evolved significantly since its release, making the story a lesson in what can go wrong when we don’t take its delicacy into account.
The story is seen through the eyes of the mute Big Chief, who shares with us the struggles between Randle McMurphy and nurse Ratched. We learn quickly that the institute is inhumane and that some of the fellow inmates, McMurphy in particular, aren’t fans of authority. There’s further emphasis on how people are often forced to conform with society.
That you can’t cure everything with theory and closed, clinical environments, has been a popular opinion of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Sometimes other people stop us from growing, was another. Take character Billy Bibbit, for example. He is known to stutter and no “solution” can be found.
After an intimate moment with McMurphy’s girlfriend, however, he gains more confidence and loses his stutter. The villain of the story, Ratched, has a penchant for using patients’ weaknesses against them though. She taps into his fear of his mother, threatening to reveal everything he’d done wrong – and it ultimately leads to his death.
“Ratched is definitely the main villain,” Neil Davidson, managing director of HeyHuman, opined. “She is a vindictive and sadistic antagonist, who takes delight in presiding over her patients. Well, I’m sorry to say, that I have met some business incarnations of her in my time.
“You know the ones I mean; they’re the bosses who think leadership means imposing rules, and confuse creating motivation with inspiring fear. They view life through the narrow lens of their own priorities, and dismiss anything outside of this as an irrelevant distraction.
“Instead of worrying about the employees who get into work five minutes late, or the members of the workforce who wear the wrong type of tie, leaders should be focusing on fostering an environment which brings out the best in their workforce.”
The movie Ready Player One is an example of how we could live in a virtual reality world. But how far off are we from achieving such a lifestyle? And what would the business landscape look like?
It’s an old saying, he pointed out – “a volunteer works better than a slave”. Davidson suggested an employee who is relaxed will produce more innovative ideas than one who is terrified. They will also work harder for bosses they admire, over ones they loathe.
The Ratched problem was suggested to be particularly rife in the marketing industry, where not only workers, but customers as well, were often treated as “homogeneous inmates”.
“There are many brands who don’t understand the importance of targeting a specific audience, or how effective results might be if a more human approach was used for marketing communications,” Davidson said.
“Everywhere you look, you see examples of brands shouting aimlessly at the world. If these brands tailored their content and focused on making their target consumers feel like they’re being addressed directly, then they would give themselves a far greater chance at forming mutually beneficial relationships with their consumers.”
Another lesson: most of us are resistant to change. Those who do resist change are unlikely to undergo a series of stages from denial to anger, so being patient is a skill of utmost importance. That we are driven by our own emotions, particularly negative ones, is another out-take from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
It pays to invest in relationships. Whether it’s a manager trying to inspire their workforce, or a brand targeting their ideal consumer.
As Davidson concluded: “It’s always best to avoid being a little Ratched about it. Otherwise, you may soon have an uprising on your hands.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.